16 hours ago
Council is forced to ditch plans to slap 20 per cent 'fat tax' on wider burial plots after facing a furious backlash
A Labour-run council has been forced to ditch plans to impose a 20 per cent 'fat tax' on wider burial plots after facing a furious backlash.
The embarrassing U-turn comes after the City of Wolverhampton Council was accused of 'discrimination' against larger people and a 'lack of empathy' towards grieving families.
The premium which was given the go ahead in May would mean a 6ft-wide plot at Danescourt Cemetery in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton would cost families £2,700 - a hefty 20 per cent premium on the cost of a standard 5ft grave.
However, after facing criticism over the move, a spokesperson for the council said 'we have decided not to proceed with the plans'.
Ross Hickton, of Hickton Family Funeral Directors in the West Midlands, said the 'fat tax' would 'push more people into funeral poverty'.
'If you live in Wolverhampton, you have the right to be buried here without extra costs.
'You shouldn't be paying a premium for a basic right. It shows a lack of empathy for what a family goes through.'
Danescourt Cemetery in Tettenhall was due to charge families £2,700 to buy a 6ft wide plot, a 20 per cent increase on the cost of a standard 5ft grave
The council said it had considered the extra charge after an increase in demand for larger graves
Mr Hickton claimed that the local authority, which has also increased its council tax by the maximum 4.99 per cent, failed to consult the public on the move.
'Wolverhampton passed this under the radar. If you've paid into the system your whole life, through council tax and income tax, you shouldn't be forced to pay an additional 20pc tax,' he added.
The council had told the BBC that the extra charge was needed after an increase in demand for larger graves.
Rosemarie McLaren who is from Wolverhampton said it was a form of 'discrimination' and that it was 'not acceptable'
'Someone like me who's a bit bigger, is going to be charged [more] because I'm fat,' she added.
The city has higher than normal obesity rates of 33.3 per cent, compared with the national average of 25.9 per cent, according to a 2021 survey.
A spokesperson said the local authority contacted 25 funeral directors serving the city and 10 responded with only one objection.
The council said the extra costs reflected 'the increased costs incurred in providing them, including disposing of the additional soil'.
'Many other local councils, including Birmingham and Walsall, charge higher fees for larger graves', the spokesperson added.
However, a City of Wolverhampton Council spokesperson told the Mail this afternoon: 'No formal decision was ever taken on plans to charge more for larger burial plots.
'This is a common practice taken by councils around the country where higher charges cover the costs of providing a larger plot.
'However, while under consideration, we have decided not to proceed with the plans.'
The BBC found that a third of 27 local authorities in the West Midlands charged more for wider graves including Telford, Birmingham, Walsall, Coventry and Staffordshire.
Houghton Regis Town Council in Bedfordshire was one of the first council's to introduce higher prices for larger coffins by doubling fees back in 2009 taking the cost from £364 to £728.
It's website states: 'Where the coffin width is such that the burial encroaches into the next available burial plot, such that it cannot be used, the above fees will be increased by 50per cent.'
